Pfizer Releases COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Results for Young Kids
Pfizer’s clinical trial news is a good sign for kids, as the rest of the industry tries to keep pace with booster decisions.
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By Sara Heath
- The week started with a whirlwind in vaccine land, with news of the FDA advisory committee’s decision on boosters nearly coming up against potentially very good news for school-aged children: Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine elicits a good immune response in those ages 5 to 11, albeit at a smaller dose than that designed for adults.
Meanwhile, hospitals are still struggling with health equity, employers hinge efforts on hospital price transparency enforcement, NIH looks into long COVID, and telehealth groups urge coverage for Medicare.
Pfizer-BioNTech Say COVID-19 Vaccine Good for Kids
Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have published findings that could be good news for kids ages 5 to 11: their COVID-19 vaccines elicit a good immune response, albeit at a lower dose.
In the trial, 2,268 participants aged 5 to 11 received a 10-microgram dose of the vaccine in a two-dose regimen. The SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibody geometric mean titer was 1,197, demonstrating strong immune response one month after the second dose.
The 10-microgram dose is the preferred dose for safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity in children 5 to 11 years of age, a Pfizer spokesperson explained. These are the first results from a pivotal trial of a COVID-19 vaccine in this age group.
READ MORE: How the Delta Variant Exacerbates Healthcare Disparities
“We are eager to extend the protection afforded by the vaccine to this younger population, subject to regulatory authorization, especially as we track the spread of the Delta variant and the substantial threat it poses to children,” Albert Bourla, chairman and chief executive officer at Pfizer, said in the announcement. READ MORE.
Top Hospitals Rank Low for Health Equity
The highest performing hospitals, as defined as ranking high on the US News & World Reports ratings, aren’t delivering on health equity, according to new information from the Lown Institute.
Additionally, only 75 of the 3,000 hospitals ranked in the report are getting an A grade on health equity, even after a year during which COVID-19 and social protests shed light on the deep disparities seen in medicine.
“It’s not enough for hospitals to say they’re committed to social responsibility. They need to put their commitment into action,” Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute, stated publicly. “Doing well on the Lown Index is one way they can demonstrate progress.” READ MORE.
Employers Hinge Efforts on Hospital Price Transparency, CMS Enforcement
A new study from the Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR), based at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, shows employers plan to use payer-negotiated rates to lower reimbursement rates.
READ MORE: How Does the Healthcare Industry Lower Prescription Drug Spending?
That plan hinges on CMS enforcing the hospital price transparency rule, which at present many organizations do not fulfill. But should CMS follow through with enforcement, employers said they can increase their own market power with newfound pricing information.
“Meeting participants agreed that the new hospital and health plan transparency requirements have the potential to strengthen the market power of employers relative to consolidated hospital systems and insurers, enhance regulatory oversight, and provide researchers with an abundance of information to inform policymaking,” the report stated. READ MORE.
NIH Looks into Long COVID with $470M Study
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be looking into long COVID, or the long-lasting effects COVID-19 infection is having on some individuals, with a $470 million in research funding, the agency announced.
The NIH Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative made the parent award to New York University (NYU) Langone Health, which will feature multiple sub-awards for more than 100 researchers at more than 30 institutes and serves as the RECOVER Clinical Science Core.
“We know some people have had their lives completely upended by the major long-term effects of COVID-19,” NIH Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, said in a press release. “These studies will aim to determine the cause and find much needed answers to prevent this often-debilitating condition and help those who suffer move toward recovery.” READ MORE.
Telehealth Orgs Advocate Coverage in Physician Fee Schedule
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A group of telehealth advocacy organizations have penned at letter to CMS urging the agency to revise the 2022 Physician Fee Schedule to include telehealth coverage for Medicare.
The American Telemedicine Association, American Medical Association, Alliance for Connected Care, Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and Medical Group Management Association were among dozens of groups submitting comments to CMS on the proposed 2020 PFS during the open comment period. Among other things, CMS is planning on extending those measures through the end of 2023.
“The ATA commends the Biden Administration for their actions in support of telehealth, and we appreciate CMS’ intent to ensure Medicare beneficiaries continue to have access to quality healthcare when and where they need it,” ATA CEO Ann Mond Johnson said in its letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “However, as important as the Physician Fee Schedule is, we urge Congress to act before the vast majority of Medicare beneficiaries go off the ‘telehealth cliff’ at the end of the public health emergency.” READ MORE.
